"The Modern Christian right as a political force is the largely the fruit of Jerry Falwell's work in the Moral Majority. Moreover, abortion as a political hill to die on became a fixed part of America's political landscape because of Rev. Falwell's efforts. He was not afraid of controversy - in fact, he knew its value, and helped create it." -- Randall Terry, Founder, Operation Rescue

Contact: Randall Terry, 904-687-9806, www.RandallTerry.com

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., May 15 /Christian Newswire/ -- The following statement is released by Randall Terry, founder of Operation Rescue:

"In the mid-19 70s, when most of the evangelical community was asleep concerning political matters, Reverend Jerry Falwell masterfully integrated Christian ethics and political duty in a way that resonated with Evangelicals. As a result, millions of Evangelicals entered the political fray with great passion.   The supreme result from these efforts was the election of Ronald Reagan.

"One of Reverend Falwell's great gifts was his ability to have an ecumenical political front; fundamentalists, Evangelicals, Roman Catholics, Orthodox Jews, and biblically sound mainline Protestants work side-by-side for the election of Ronald Reagan, Both Presidents Bush, and a host of candidates at the local, state, and federal level. His vision and leadership will be sorely missed.

"Jerry Falwell was one of the first national Christian leaders to embrace and endorse Operation Rescue. He stood side by side with us in Atlanta; he did television and radio shows extolling our work; he wrote the forward to my book, had me speak in his church, in his college, and on his television show.  As a result of his help, we were able to recruit thousands of Evangelicals into the pro-life movement.

"We will soon be launching Operation Rescue's 20th Anniversary events. We will be sure to remember the role that Dr. Falwell played in our emergence as a social and political force."

For interviews with Mr. Terry, call 904-687-9806